1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information recording medium such as paper on which multimedia information including audio information of voice, music, etc., video information obtained from cameras, video equipment, etc., digital code data obtained from personal computers, wordprocessors, etc. is recorded as a two-dimensional code pattern which can be optically read, a two-dimensional code of the information recording medium, and an information reproduction system for optically reading the two-dimensional code pattern recorded on the information recording medium and reproducing the original multimedia information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various recording mediums, such as magnetic tapes and optical disks, have been conventionally known as those for recording voice information, music information, etc. However, even though their reproductions are mass-produced, they increase in unit cost and require a very large space for keeping themselves. Furthermore, it takes time and trouble to transfer a recording medium on which voice information is recorded from one person to another far away therefrom, even though it is mailed or sent by hand. These problems are true of all the so-called multimedia information including video information obtained from cameras, video equipment, etc., digital code data obtained from personal computers, wordprocessors, etc., as well as audio information.
International Publication No. WO 94/08314 (corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/407,018) discloses a system capable of dealing with the above problems. According to this system, multimedia information containing at least one of audio information, video information and digital code data is recorded on an information recording medium, such as paper, in the form of a two-dimensional code formed by two-dimensionally arranging a plurality of dots, i.e., image information or encoded information which can be facsimiled and mass-produced at low cost, and it is reproduced therefrom.
In the system of the international publication, two-dimensional codes are optically read by holding an information reproduction apparatus and manually scanning the recording medium along the two-dimensional codes.
The structure of a two-dimensional code pattern is still being studied so as to improve in recording density. If higher density recording is achieved, the locations of respective dots of the two-dimensional code pattern have to be calculated with high precision. However, such high-precision calculation is not particularly taken into consideration by the above International Publication.